


Seven Long Years

by bravewarriorofthesea



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Multi, also warning this is super self indulgent, background relationships are super background guys, they wont appear for a while as well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:45:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12928758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravewarriorofthesea/pseuds/bravewarriorofthesea
Summary: When Gildarts told him and Bickslow to stay on the ship as extra back up Freed shouldn't have listened. Even as peace seemed to fall on Tenrou Island he should have followed his gut instead of Gildarts orders, and gone back to be with his friends. The world is full of should haves however, and Freed and Bickslow did not set foot on Tenrou again that fateful day.Seven years later and they have all but moved on with their lives. Then they get some rather unexpected news.





	1. Home

**Author's Note:**

> Yes hello Ella here with the most self indulgent nonscence I've written in a while. Basically I'm working on an AU that Freed and Bickslow remained on the ship during Tenrou and were present for the seven years the rest of the gang were in magic slumber or whatever the Fairy Circle is. I really love Freed a lot and I think he deserved a lot more than he got so basically this is me making him super op and giving him some growth and redemption for fun because I ?? I love this boy.  
> As always hit me up with questions/ideas/conversational starters. Not everything makes sense and fits perfectly to canon because lbr I'm not a miracle worker and Mashima's canon ends up all over the place sometimes anyway (tell me wtf happened to Raventail I'll fight you old man) so just enjoy I guess!

Returning home was one of the best feelings imaginable to Freed Justine. It was true that things would never quite be how they were before, and he could only stand to stay in the guild for a few days before he was itching to leave on another quest, but returning home filled him with nothing but a warm feeling of relief and joy.

As he walked through the doors of the guild, he saw familiar heads turn his way, small smiles tugging at lips throughout the hall at his entrance. Alzack was the first one who approached him, moving to his side the second he saw him, stepping in time with him as they approached the bar.

It was true that their new guild hall wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as their old one. It wasn’t as big, and it didn’t hold all those memories of the loved ones they had lost, but it was still theirs and he couldn’t help but smile as he and Alzack sat down, grinning at each other warmly.

It was good to be home.  

“So, news since we last saw you, Lamia Scale sent us a message about the Grand Magic Games, we’re still going to enter, right?”

“Isn’t Macao meant to be taking charge of that? He is the guild master after all.” Freed smiled at Kinana who placed a drink down in front of him before returning to where she had been sitting with Laki.

“Yeah, but you’re in, right? Bisca said it’s my turn this year and I’m happy for it. You and Bicks will kick ass again, you know, even if we don’t make it to the finals. Hey, where is Bickslow? The quest went okay, right?”

Freed picked up his tankard carefully, taking a sip of the drink. “The quest was another easy one so it went fine. He popped in to visit his foster sister at Mermaid Heel as it was on our route home, he’s going to try and convince her to take a job with him so we can get something a bit higher up the scale jewel wise.”

They both glanced towards the empty quest board and sighed. There was very little work these days, and they just continued to get less requests every passing week. They’d have completely gone under if Freed and Bickslow hadn’t managed to make some close friends in other guilds, taking their requests with them and splitting the reward.

It was coming up to seven years since what had happened at Tenrou. Freed hated that he was still holding onto a faith that probably wasn’t warranted, but he couldn’t help it. He had been there that day, watching from the ship as he saw a dark shadow descend from the clouds. It had been too late for him and Bickslow to go help them, even though they had tried, and they’d been blasted backwards into the ocean, away from their friends and lost out of sight. It had taken everything in Freed’s power to make sure they both survived and when they washed up on the shore of Fiore, battered and bruised, Freed had tried to return to the island instantly. They had spent weeks, probably months, searching the ocean to no avail. It was as if the whole island had just vanished.

Freed and Bickslow had led the search for Laxus after that. They had travelled across Fiore trying to find him, to spread word that they were looking for him so that he would come back and show his old guild mates his loyalty. Perhaps return to become the Master they had always believed he could be.

To this day they had still heard nothing from him.

Seven years later Freed had no idea of his whereabouts and every time Freed thought about it he itched to continue searching, to demand an explanation for why Laxus would leave them when they needed him the most. However, he was needed at the guild and he wasn’t going to turn his backs on his guildmates to continue his search.

“Freed!”

The voice of Romeo startled Freed out of his reminiscing and he looked up with a smile. “Hey kid.”

“You’re finally back! Can you please take me on your next quest, Freed? I’m strong enough for a bigger quest now, I swear.”

Freed chuckled, ruffling his hair fondly. “You’ve got to ask your dad, Romeo. I wouldn’t want to disrespect the Master after all.”

Romeo pouted, knowing that it would probably be a no. Alzack and Bisca had gotten in the habit of taking him out with them when they took smaller quests. However, he was still learning and taking him on a high earning job, or on an S-class quest, was something none of them wanted to do. No matter how happy they all knew it would make him, Romeo was to be protected at all costs. This the guild could agree on.

“Okay I’ll ask him. But you have to tell me how your job was when I get back.”

Freed smiled, waving him off before turning to face Alzack who was looking on fondly.

“Doesn’t he remind you of Natsu?”

“Yeah, he does.”

They looked across the guild to where Macao and Wakaba were sat, Romeo sitting on the table and trying to convince his father to let him go on a bigger quest. It wasn’t like they even had many big quests any more, but Romeo was persistent and Freed had contacts. He wondered how long it would take before Macao finally caved in and allowed his son the opportunity to go on something of a higher class. 

“Blue Pegasus are planning on dropping by later. Kinana spoke to Ichiya through a communication lacrima, he says they have some news.”

Freed nodded, turning back to look at Alzack, the fond smile that had been on his lips vanishing at the thought of what news Blue Pegasus could have that involved a drop-in call. “News about Tenrou?”

Alzack shrugged, sipping his drink. “Let’s hope so.”

“It’s been seven years Alzack. Why are we still hoping?”

Alzack sighed, looking across the guild. It was so quiet these days. How many people had left since they had lost them all? Freed still hated seeing the hall so empty. It was why he went on as many quests as frequently as possible. At least with him and Bickslow taking the big money quests they had enough to make sure the guild kept running and their friends and their kids had the support they needed.

“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like we’re all just getting old waiting, but the whole thing doesn’t feel real. Sometimes it still feels like a prank. Like Natsu is gonna stroll in any day now and start laughing at us all.” Alzack smiled, taking a sip of his drink. “I still have faith in them. I still think there’s got to be more to what happened.”

Freed nodded, looking down at the table. It didn’t feel real that they had died. Not considering how strong they had all been, but Freed had seen that explosion, it had almost killed him. He tried so hard to believe that they were still alive somehow, but what were the chances of that? Surely, they were dead. So what were they waiting for? Because they were all still waiting. That much was clear.

Freed would sit at night sometimes and think of their faces. Would think of everything he knew about them. Sometimes it was hard, realising that memories had faded, or else he hadn’t really known many of them to begin with.  

What haunted him more than their faces was the guilt.

He should have been there. When Gildarts had said it was best for them to stay on the boat as extra backup he shouldn’t have listened to him. He and Bickslow should have gone to find their friends at seeing the warning signal. No matter how grateful he was that he was alive, and he could protect the guild, it was still unfair. On top of that he had failed in finding Laxus. His friend had still not returned home.

Freed was about to reply to Alzack’s words when there was a slam at the door and he jumped onto his feet. Twilight Ogre, of course. Alzack was stood at his side in mere moments and the two of them moved forwards to join Macao who had sprinted to the front of the room to deal with the intruders.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t what remains of Fairy Tail. Looking emptier by the day.”

Freed glared them down, standing behind Macao with his sword drawn ever so slightly. He knew they wouldn’t wreck their Guild with him present, but they would throw around a few insults if they could get away with it. Freed knew the insults weren’t worth rising to, but it still made his blood boil to watch this gruff wizard disrespect his family.

He felt stirring from the corners of the Guild as everyone swept into defensive position.

“We’ve paid you already this month. Why don’t you and your cronies leave.” Macao spoke, watching them wearily.

“Well we thought maybe you could pay us in advance for next months interest. We’re looking to extend our hall and thought perhaps you’re feeling generous.”

Freed wanted to take out his sword and dish a serving of pain onto the men before him but it wasn’t worth the trouble they’d get in. And with him constantly taking the missions that turned up on their board he couldn’t guarantee he’d be around to protect his friends when they came knocking for revenge as they always did.

“Why don’t you get lost, we paid for this month and that’s all your getting until next month rolls around.”

“Hmm, yeah, we don’t want to do that.”

Freed withdrew his sword fully at that, taking a step forwards so he was stood in front of Macao. He wore his hair short now, and his demon eye was left uncovered for the world to see. To see when he was ready to attack because Freed had learnt to attack.

Glaring directly at the man in front of him, he tightened the grip on his sword.

“You are going to leave.”

“Or what?”

With a quick flick of his sword he wrote the runes _Only a Fairy Tail Wizard may remain inside this guild hall._ And he watched as the five members of Twilight Ogre soared comically out of the door and through the air, landing a few meters away.

“We’ll see you in a few weeks.” He shouted, before slamming the door shut and turning to face the Master. “What?” He shrugged, putting his sword away and walking over to the bar again, not looking Macao in the eye. “We can’t let them bully us out of more than we owe them. We made up rules and they swore to abide them. They’re lucky I didn’t totally destroy them.”

“Sometimes I think you should be in charge.”

Freed shook his head, sitting down and taking a swig of his drink. “Sometimes I think you have too much faith in me. I’ve hurt the guild before and-”

“That was a long time ago, you’ve more than made up for it.” Wakaba interrupted, converging at the bar with the others.

The solemn faces of his guildmates made Freed’s heart ache, but there was little he could do to cheer them up. He tried to smile, taking another sip of his drink. “It _was_ a long time ago. I don’t think I even properly remembered your name Alzack. I was so in my own head about the guild back then.”

“Yeah, and I was dead set on ending you.” He laughed, leaning on the bar. “I mean you had hurt the girl I was intensely crushing on.”

“You also completely beat me.” Reedus smirked, looking up from his painting.

Freed smiled, finishing off his drink. It was a matter he still felt guilty about, although he was glad they could laugh about it now. They had started the jokes mere weeks after the event, although it had taken much longer for Freed to feel as if he were worthy of still being part of their guild.

Macao was looking fondly at the group gathered around the bar, and Freed shot him a smile. The older man had really been suffering with his feelings of inadequacy. He didn’t think he deserved to be the master, he believed it was his doing that was running the guild into the ground, although nobody believed that of him for a second.

The fact that they were all still together gave them hope and Macao had been elementary in making sure they all remained the family they had always been. The amount of leaving ceremonies he had to perform would have shaken a lesser man. But Macao was strong, even if he didn’t believe so himself.

Freed admired him for this strength.

As the little group descended into teasing there was a loud noise outside which shook the guild more than Twilight Ogre ever could. They all shared glances at each other before they were running out of the door in a hurry.

There in the horizon was Blue Pegasus in all their glory, the dark shadow of Christina falling over their guild hall. Freed grinned widely at the sight of Ichiya acting like a fool and falling to the ground. He hung at the back of the group this time, knowing there was no threat from their comrades and that Hibiki might not want to see him after their last explosive break up.  

When the Trimen landed in a row he expected them to fall into a tizz over Laki and Kinana, and to their credit Eve and Ren began the ritual instantly, but Hibiki was in front of him in a moment.

Freed felt a warm feeling in his gut as he looked at the younger man, a soft smile tugging at his lips. His relationship with Hibiki was difficult, but as the man moved forwards, throwing his arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, Freed felt himself sink into his content feeling of familiarity.

“Mr Justine, lovely to see you again.”

Freed could feel his blush as he patted Hibiki on the back before drawing away, smiling at the other man.

“Please drop the formalities Hibiki, we’re not strangers. I’m glad to see you again.”

Hibiki squeezed hold of Freed’s shoulders tightly, turning to look at Ichiya. “As I am you, but this is no time for a catch up. We have news, Freed. We found it.”

“Found what?” Max spoke, turning to look at Ichiya, a frown on his face.

“Tenrou Island.” Ichiya spoke, looking at Macao, the grin wide on his face. “We believe we’ve located its whereabouts.”

Freed felt as if his stomach had dropped out of his body. They had found it. They’d actually found it. He had gone white as a sheet as Hibiki continued to hold onto him, but Freed quickly shrugged off his hands, walking towards Ichiya with determination.

“You’re sure about this? You mean we can find out what happened to them.”

Ichiya nodded which was enough confirmation for Freed to start setting plans in motion in his head. He turned to face Macao, nodding at him. “We’ll split up, half of us will go and we’ll set sail at dawn. This is..” It was good news. Possibly good news. Probably good news.

No matter what they found out at least this way they’d know for sure.

“This is what we’ve been waiting seven years for.” Macao spoke, and Freed could feel tears well in his eyes.

“I’m all fired up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment <3


	2. At Sea

The gentle rocking of the ocean wasn’t as calming as Freed has hoped it would be. As he stood watching the horizon nervously for any signs of Tenrou, he felt sick and it wasn’t from anticipation. Everyone on deck was incredibly tense apart from Jet and Droy, who were darting about the deck excitedly buzzing about seeing Levy again.

Freed wished he had that faith as he sank against the side of the boat, feeling his stomach sink.

He didn’t think he could face finding Evergreen’s body, but he needed to know what had become of his sister. He had missed her so terribly and finding out what had happened was the only way they could at last move on.

Bickslow was back at the guild with Macao and the others. They had decided that Freed ought to go along in case there was any danger on the island, but Bickslow had been too scared about discovering his friends dead, so he had stayed behind.

In that moment he wished he’d insisted that Bickslow join him. No one was able to calm him down as well as the other did, and his guilt was weighing down hard on him in that moment in a way only he would understand.

Luckily for him, Freed didn’t just have Bickslow to rely on any more and the comforting presence of Bisca, who had moved to stand beside him, was just as relaxing. Especially as she pressed her hand to his arm, giving it a soft squeeze.

“Whatever we find, at least we’ll know.”

“Yes, you are right about that.” Freed smiled over at her, standing up straighter as he continued to watch the sea. “Do you know how close we are to the coordinates Blue Pegasus provided?”

“We’re about half an hour away. We should arrive soon enough.”

“I don’t know if I have the strength to bury her, Bisca.” Freed spoke quietly, his thoughts drawn to Evergreen as they always were. He had abandoned his comrade and he hated it. If she was dead because of his lack of action then Freed would never be able to forgive himself.

“We’ll deal with that when we know what happened.” Bisca sounded sad, probably thinking of her own best friend. They had all lost loved ones that day and the fear in finding out they had lost them for good was obvious throughout the ship.

The half hour it took to approach the coordinates passed faster than Freed was expecting as he listened to his guild mates talk amongst themselves. He stayed at the head of the ship watching the distance as he listened to Warren talk about having to accept that they may not find their friends alive.

The sudden lack of birds was the first clue Freed had to realising something was wrong. And then there was a strange taste in the air around him. Although perhaps sensation was a better word for it. It felt like an ancient spell, like the lingering effects of Fairy Law that still haunted him, and it sank into his stomach making his nerves spike.

“The waves have stilled.” Freed looked up properly then, catching sight of something in the distance. “Is that.. Is that a girl?” He spoke, the rest of his friends coming closer to look.

His senses weren’t lying to him, that much was clear by the reactions of the others.

“She’s floating above the water.” Max spoke in awe from beside him. They watched silently as she raised her arms slowly, light suddenly erupting out of the water in giant streams.

Freed felt his heart lurch at the sight, and as the waves rocked them back his mind went suddenly back to that night, back to the crashing waves sending them far away from his comrades. He felt just as hopeless as he gripped hold of the side, glad that these waves somehow weren’t enough to send the boat anywhere.

The group of seven watched in awe as between the light beams an island began to rise. It was too bright to look at directly, but Freed couldn’t pull his gaze away, desperate to know what was happening.

Then as quickly as it started the rumbling stopped and the lights vanished and there, in the middle of the ocean, just as he had seen it all those years ago, stood Tenrou.

Freed wasn’t going to cry again, not at the sight of the island, but he felt relief sweep through his body.

“This is it.” He spoke quietly, his heart hammering in his chest.

He watched as the girl who had raised the island from the ocean turned her back on them. She was almost gliding across the sea towards Tenrou and although there was clearly something inhuman about her she made Freed feel safe.

“We should follow that girl.” He spoke, the others quickly agreeing with him. Max wasted no time steering the ship into the harbour and Freed was bubbling with anticipation as he jumped into the shallow water, stepping back onto the island. He ran his hand through his now short hair, wondering how he had been able to cope with the warm climate the last time he had been there.

 The girl was still a fair distance from them and she grinned again, waving at them all before running off into the forest.

“Jet, go after her!” Alzack shouted, and the man began to run as fast as he could, the others keeping pace behind them. Freed wasted no time casting his wings into existence, flying between the trees for extra speed as he rushed to keep up with Jet and the girl.

He almost crashed into a tree when Freed saw a figure on the floor in front of him, buried in rubble.

The flock of pink hair was so unique that it could only belong to Natsu. It was him, lying motionless on the ground. He was so still, not the usual ball of energy Freed could remember, and he looked beaten and broken. Tears filled his eyes as he sank onto the floor beside Jet, gripping hold of the other for support as the rest of them caught up.

They all stayed still for a moment before Warren let out a shaky breath. “Is he breathing?”

Max was the first person to move forwards, braver than all the rest of them. Softly squeezing Warren’s shoulder as he walked past him, he carefully walked through the rubble, kneeling down beside Natsu who looked as if he hadn’t aged a day. He leant down to hold his hand over Natsu’s mouth, eyes widening as he stared up at the group, anticipation bubbling in the air.

“He.. He’s alive.”

Freed stayed back with Alzack and Bisca as the others ran forwards in one great surge. He felt tears filling his eyes and relief flooding through him. They hadn’t died. They were alive.

He hadn’t left them to die.

The others were shaking Natsu awake now, all babbling uncontrollable emotions. Natsu was alive. _Their_ Natsu. And in that moment, it felt obvious to Freed. Of course Natsu was alive. As if something as small as a dragon could take down the raging ball of fury and love that was Natsu Dragneel.

And suddenly Natsu was shouting, pushing the guys off him. “Let me sleep you jerks!” He seemed not to realise for a moment who was waking him up until he looked at them, confusion on his face. “Would you mind telling me what’s going on? What are you guys doing on the island? And why do you look so much older?”

Freed felt relief flood through him as he watched the others sobbing, all moving forwards to touch Natsu as if checking he was actually there. It made his heart soar sky high until he stopped for a second, looking around the field.

“Where are the others?”

That was when the girl appeared again, standing in the distance, a smile on her lips.

“Your friends are safe, I will lead you to them.”

If her presence had filled Freed and the others with a sense of comfort before, her voice was another thing entirely. The bright smile on her face didn’t waver and it almost looked as if she were glowing as she turned her back and began to walk again. Freed didn’t need to look at his comrades to know that they were helping Natsu to his feet so they could all follow her together.

He wasted no time in moving forwards, his heart hammering in his chest. He needed to see Evergreen. He needed to see her with his own eyes or else he wouldn’t be able to believe that she was okay.

It didn’t take long for them to come into another clearing, a clearing filled with their friends who were each slowly waking up, pain and confusion on their faces. Freed felt Alzack grip hold of his arm and they shared a look of joy and ran forwards together.

Freed’s eyes darted around the group until they came to a sudden stop.

There she was. Looking not a day older since he last seen her, a frown on her face as she brushed dirt off her dress. There was Evergreen, alive and as stroppy as ever.

That was when Freed at last felt the tears fall from his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the comments on the first chapter! I'm glad you guys liked my self indulgent fic, there's plenty more to come and I'm super excited! If you liked please comment and kudos because it really means the world to me and makes it so much easier for me to write more <3


	3. Reunion

Freed felt everything around him stop.

He looked at Evergreen for what felt like an hour, but was in reality probably only a few seconds before he felt his feet begin to move. She was exactly how he remembered. It looked as if she had been frozen in time, his best friend, the girl he had considered to be his sister. She was okay.

He ran towards her as fast as he could, flinging his arms around her without a delay and holding her as close as possible.

“Evergreen. You’re alive.” He felt her struggling against the hug in confusion, causing him to pull back so he was looking down at her, tears glistening in his eyes. He couldn’t stop staring at her. It felt as if he had to take in everything about her once again. He had to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything and that he wasn’t making all this up in some group delusion or dream.

He felt his hands shake as he reached up to touch her hair, gently brushing it out of her face so he could look at her properly. She certainly felt real, and the familiar frown and pout on her face reassured him even more.

“I’ve missed you so terribly.” Freed spoke again, letting himself be convinced that this wasn’t some figment of his imagination.

“Freed… Is that you?” Ever spoke quietly, her eyes darting across his face carefully. “Your hair.. You look... _What?_ It’s only been a.. It’s only been a day.” She looked so confused and Freed didn’t know what to do or how to make it better.

Instead he settled with simply wrapping her into another hug, wiping furiously at his eyes to try and get himself to stop crying. “I’ll explain everything that I can soon, I swear. I just, I can’t believe you’re alive.”

After a few seconds Evergreen sank against him too, hugging him back just as tightly. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was so, so worried that Acnologia had hurt you and Bicks.”

“I should have been here with you all.” Freed closed his eyes tightly, letting out a ragged breath as they continued to stand with Evergreen’s head buried in his chest.

As they stood together in a tight embrace he could hear the shouts from the others. Names being called from Alzack and Max, Jet and Droy’s excited chanting over Levy. He could tell that Bisca was sobbing uncontrollably. That Warren was probably just staring in shock at the scene, not sure what to do. It was too much for them all. Too much relief. Too much confusion. Too much of every emotion.

None of them knew what to do with themselves.

Stood before them were the friends they had spent seven years mourning.

They were alive. All of them were alive.

Strangely Freed thought of Romeo, waiting back at the guild with his sad eyes. The kid was going to fall apart from joy and Freed felt a warm surge fill his chest. Macao would cry from relief, Bickslow would probably never let Ever out of his sight, everyone was going to be a mess when they walked through the halls of the guild for the first time in years and Freed felt his heart soar as he thought about his family reuniting again.

The weight that had been suffocating him for the past seven years had finally been lifted.

Finally Evergreen pulled away, looking up at him and pressing a hand to his cheek. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do now Freed. How could you cut your beautiful hair? And where are your bolts.” She tried to look stern at him but there was a warmth in her eyes as she teased him playfully. “And how could you finally go shopping without me?”

Freed couldn’t help but laugh as she scolded him, hitting his chest gently to emphasise her point. “I miss the damn coat though, you better have kept it or I really will kill you.”

He grinned down at her as she continued for a few moments before sweeping her up into another hug and spinning her around. She laughed along with him, demanding to be put down through her giggles. Freed felt a warmth in his stomach as he set her on the floor again, unable to stop smiling.

“You’re so annoying.” She smirked, nudging his shoulder.

“Not as annoying as you, Evergreen.”

Evergreen smiled a little playfully, tilting her head to the side to look at him as she put on her fake innocent voice. “You know, I’m not the only person you should be sweeping into your arms right now Freed.”

Freed frowned for a second before he turned back to the group, properly looking over the clearing for the first time to understand what she meant.

Gray and Juvia were stood watching a sobbing Max holding onto Lucy, whose face was etched with confusion. Jet and Droy were jumping up and down with excitement over Levy, Panther Lily and Gajeel. Cana was standing beside Gildarts awkwardly. Mirajane, Lisanna and Erza were all chatting animatedly to Bisca. Alzack was grinning and waving his arms about as he talked to Elfman, Natsu and a bubbling Happy about God knows what. Wendy was with Carla, checking over the Master as Warren seemed to be explaining what had happened to them. And then, stood to one side like he didn’t belong, there was a face Freed did not expect to see. A face he had never expected to see again, but for a completely different reason.

Freed felt his heart soar as he made eye contact with him.

He was exactly the same as the last time they had seen one another. From the familiar blonde hair to the small confused pout of his lips. He was staring at him with an unreadable look on his face. For a second Freed felt frozen in place and then suddenly he was moving across the clearing, stumbling slightly in his rush to get to his friend’s side.

“Laxus!”

His words echoed loudly as he flung himself at the taller man as soon as he was in reach, throwing his arms around him and holding onto him as tightly as possible. Laxus stumbled back a little at the sudden weight, but managed to keep his balance as Freed held onto him.

Laxus stood frozen for few seconds and Freed realised that maybe this was a bit much. Maybe he shouldn’t be overwhelming him like this, even though he couldn’t help it. He just wanted to hold onto Laxus forever, to breathe in that familiar smell and feel comforted that the love of his life hadn’t turned his back on them for the past seven years as he had believed only moments ago.

He hadn’t been travelling the world and ignoring Fairy Tail who needed him so desperately. Instead he had been trapped on the island just as the rest of his friends had been, unable to help, not simply being unwilling to come back.

Freed was about to pull away from the hug when he felt Laxus let out a sigh, wrapping his arms around Freed’s back and relaxing against him. A hand raised to his hair and Freed shivered at the gentle touch, leaning his head back so he could look up at Laxus.

The other man didn’t have tears in his eyes, but he looked immensely sad as he stared down at Freed.

He seemed to understand enough of what had happened as he looked down at him, his eyes darting across his face just as Ever’s had.

Freed had imagined over and over exactly what he would say to Laxus when they met again. It had started with pleading words about how the guild needed him, but before long had led to a speech of disappointment. He had planned to be angry, to tell him how they didn’t need his help any more, to tell him how mad he had been when it hit him that Laxus wouldn’t come back on his own. That he had abandoned Fairy Tail and abandoned Freed.

All those thoughts, all those words, they fell away as Laxus pressed a hand to his cheek, running his fingers softly over his skin. Freed felt relief flood him. He didn’t have to be mad, or disappointed. He didn’t have to hold back his joy at seeing his friend to shout on behalf of his guild. Freed could simply enjoy this moment, and enjoy the knowledge that Laxus had returned to his side.

He hadn’t felt this content since the other had left all those years ago.

“You’ve aged a lot in four months.” Laxus finally spoke, making eye contact with him again.

Freed let out a small laugh, gently placing his hand over the others heart. “You’ve not aged at all in seven years.”

Laxus’ expression dropped at that, his eyebrows pulling together. “What do you mean seven years?” As Laxus spoke Freed let go of him, taking a little step back but still standing as close to Laxus as was acceptable. Laxus looked angry for a second, his eyes darting across his old comrades before settling back onto Freed. “What happened?”

“You tell me. The last thing I remember was Gildarts answering the warning signal and telling me and Bix to stay behind as extra back up if we needed to flee. We were sent halfway across the ocean by the impact of that dragon’s roar. It was terrifying. We thought everyone on the island had died.” 

“You thought I’d died?”

Freed looked down at the floor, shaking his head. “We had no idea you were on the island. We searched for you for months. Years if I’m being honest. You have no clue how glad I am knowing that you were here all that time.” He smiled to himself, looking up at Laxus again, his eyes shining with relief. “You didn’t give up on us.”

There was silence between them for a moment before Laxus took a step closer to him.

“You know I’d never give up on you, Freed.”

Freed opened his mouth to reply but the quiet ringing voice of the girl from before stopped him. As if broken out of a spell they both sprung away from each other, standing side by side instead of facing one another as Mavis begun to explain what had happened.

After she had done so Freed felt himself relax. It would all be okay. Things had changed, that was obvious, but it would be okay.

“It’s time to go home.” He smiled, walking forwards to where his companions from the past seven years had collected. Turning to look at the others Freed felt himself grin even wider. “It’s time for us all to go home together.”

Practically beaming with joy, he turned to Jet. “Fancy leading the way back to the ship?”

Jet nodded, running over to Levy and grabbing hold of her hand. “Come on, let’s go back to Fairy Tail.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite having a load of this written already it took me over a month to edit this chapter, sorry guys (winter holidays are so busy and my retail job is the worst). Luckily I'm back now and updates should be more frequent! Hope you're still enjoying reading this (I'm still really enjoying writing it!) and have a wonderful day!  
> p.s. I wish I could give a huge Freed relief hug to everyone who comments <3 you mean the world to me thank you and keep them coming if you can!


	4. Onwards

Levy grinned, her eyes shining with tears as Jet dragged her through the woods and towards their ship home. It didn’t take long before the rest of the group began to follow the path the two reunited friends trod through the forest. They were led by Droy running as best he could to keep up with them, Jet unconsciously pulling Levy quickly through the trees, restless with excitement.

Everyone settled into happy conversation as they began their journey home, but Freed felt a certain pang of pain that he needed to address before he could go anywhere. Shooting Laxus a small smile, he stayed behind as he and Evergreen dropped into step alongside the others. Although he longed to join them both, to catch them up with everything they had missed and express his utter joy at seeing them again, he knew he had to talk to Makarov. He had to talk to the Master before they made their way back to Magnolia and were swept up in the celebrations that were bound to follow.

Freed wasn’t the head of the guild, but he did feel a certain responsibility to explain what had happened to him seven years ago, and to catch Makarov up on matters to do with Fairy Tail. The guild no longer felt like something he was just on the surface off, it instead felt like home, like a family.

For someone who had always been the youngest brother, always overshadowed and left out of the spotlight with his less than flashy magic, it was weird for him to realise that he had fallen into the role of protector. Sure it was true that with the thunder legion he had spent a lot of time worrying and looking after them, but even then he shied away from any real responsibility.

Now Freed had begun to shine in Fairy Tail. He had complex relationships with everyone who had been left behind, and more than anything he felt responsible for their happiness. All that responsibility meant he had to address the fact that he had not been able to help his friends on the island. The guilt was eating him up, but more than that Freed had to prove to Makarov that he still deserved to be part of the guild, to remain with his family.

As far as he was concerned they could not delay the conversation.

Luckily for Freed it appeared that the Master had also realised the two needed to talk, and he was waiting for him at the rear of the group, a small smile on his face as he watched Freed approach him.

“Master Makarov, before I say anything else I must apologise for my actions.” Freed bowed his head lowly, taking a steady breath to try and control his breathing, and the obvious guilt in his voice. “I deeply regret that Bickslow and I did not return to the island when you needed us. I hold that shame in my heart and I beg for your forgiveness. We were following the suggestion of Gildarts and we believed it was in the guilds best intensions that we stayed aboard the ship. However, that is no excuse for what we did. We left you all behind and failed to find you for so long, and for that I am so humbly sorry.”

Freed didn’t dare look up as he finished his apology. He had no idea the expression that would be on Makarov’s face and he was terrified to find out that he would be rejected, or worse. However, Makarov simply pressed his hand to Freed’s arm, letting out a low chuckle.

“You did nothing wrong, child. If you had been here we do not know what may have happened with the guild. What matters is that you stayed true to your friends.”

Once again, a calm feeling settled in Freed’s chest. It was the same feeling of relief. Makarov knew he had done the right thing. He didn’t resent him for not entering the fray of battle. If he were being honest relief was too weak a word to describe Freed’s current state of emotions.

“Thank you, Master. I cannot thank you enough.”

They shared a smile at last, and Freed began to walk beside him, keeping up the rear of the group.

“I’m not the Master anymore, am I? If it’s been seven years.”

Freed shook his head, watching as Natsu and Gray bickered between themselves a few feet away. “Macao is our Master now. He’s a good man. Not as strong as you in terms of magic power of course, but he has a good heart. He leads the guild like a father, I have nothing but praise for his actions over the past seven years.”

“You speak very highly of him.”

Freed nodded, his eyes still looking over the group in front of them, fondness filling his chest. “He’s managed to keep the Guild running despite the decreasing amount of quests we’ve received, he allowed me and Bickslow room to go searching for Laxus. He juggles his own son and the children of the guild. When we lost Fairy Hills he found homes for Laki and Kinana. He has suffered but he remains strong. He is everything a good guild master ought to be and I swore I would stand beside him through everything. I still will.”

Makarov smiled, nodding his head. “My children have had a rough seven years, haven’t they, Freed?”

“We have.” He sighed but stared forwards in determination. “But that doesn’t matter, what matters is that you are all safe and we are returning to the guild together.”

Makarov smiled, nodding ahead of him. “We can talk more about what happened later, Freed. We both know you don’t want to be talking to an old man right now, you want to be talking to my grandson.” He laughed as little, looking over at Laxus’ back. “With the looks he keeps shooting us I’m fairly certain he wants to talk to you too.”

Freed wanted to ask Makarov if Laxus would be permitted back into the guild, but it didn’t feel like it was his place, or the right time to do so. Instead he smiled, bowing his head.

“Thank you, Makarov. I’ll fill you in on everything in due time.”

With that Freed sped up, moving past Natsu and Gray, who he sent a wide smile to, waving briefly at Wendy who was chatting to Bisca before sliding up between Laxus and Evergreen. The two were still staring at him a little warily, and Freed cracked out a smile.

“You can both stop staring at my hair you know. I’m still the same old Freed, I just got bored of the same hairstyle after seven years. You should see Bickslow now, completely bald.”

Evergreen laughed, a smile tugging at her lips. “Really?”

“Ah no, not any more. Although he did cut it all off when he gave up his armour, I have photos.”

Laxus chuckled, a small smile on his lips. “I always loved that armour.”

“He’s okay then? Bix?” Ever asked, looking over at Freed. “Why didn’t he come with you?”

“Bickslow is more than okay.” Freed smiled, thinking about his dear brother at home who would be so happy to see the others.

Bickslow had found so much happiness over the seven years they had been separated. He had lived his life to the fullest, in order to honour those they believed were dead. They both had done so, but there had always been something missing. It was the same for Freed, no matter what happiness their lives had brought, there was always a huge gap in their hearts. Now he had been reunited with his friends he could feel his own beginning to heal over and he could not wait for Bickslow to see his friends again.

“He was just worried about what we’d find here, so I advised him to stay behind. Only one of us needed to come.”

“More than okay, that’s good.” She smiled, leaning to take hold of Freed’s hand. Freed squeezed it tightly, a warm feeling filling his chest.

Wordlessly he reached out to take hold of Laxus’ hand with his other, so he was stood between his two friends holding onto them for dear life. The gesture reminded Freed that this wasn’t some wild dream, it was real, and his friends had returned to him. He expected Laxus to pull away after a moment or two, but he kept hold of Freed. Which Freed was grateful for, and the three walked in easy silence for a while as they made their way towards the ship.

Surprisingly it was Laxus who broke the silence as they were clambering on board to head home. “So, you’ve been training for seven years I take it?” He asked Freed, leaning against the side of the ship as the other made a quick headcount, making sure everyone had made it on board.

“Maybe you could even beat me in a fight.” The look that flickered over his face as he crossed his arms over his chest made Freed smile. He had missed this teasing side of Laxus, the one that had pushed his friends not by scathing remarks and intense training sessions, but with light hearted teasing, allowing them to build their own determination to prove themselves. It had been much longer than seven years that he had seen that smile, and it made Freed feel warmth settle in his gut.

“Maybe I could. After all, you don’t get promoted to S-Class for no reason.” Freed spoke quietly, not wanting to cause a commotion from the words, although from the look Natsu suddenly shot him, he wasn’t quiet enough.

“Hey no fair! You got made S-Class, but you lost against Cana and Lucy!” Natsu was at his side in an instant. The loudness of his voice causing more people to look around at him.

Freed didn’t like that the attention that was suddenly on him, but he cleared his throat, holding his head high. “After we lost you all it was necessary for someone to continue taking on S-Class quests and I understand if Makarov decides to revoke my status as I didn’t become S-Class with the same traditions Laxus, Mirajane and Erza did. However, it was necessary and..” Freed drew his sword, a smirk on his lips. “I’m more than willing to prove my strength if it calls for it.”

Alzack, alongside Laxus and a few others, let out a roaring laugh at his speech, patting Natsu on his shoulder good naturedly. “I wouldn’t try mate.”

“What, you think I can’t take him?” Natsu turned on Alzack, his arms already flaming as if in preparation for a fight.

“No, I think that we’re about to set sail.” He smirked as Bisca and Max tugged up the anchor and Warren began to turn the rudder and they suddenly jerked forwards.

Natsu’s fire immediately vanished and he sank to the floor, Happy hovering above him as Lucy made a remark to Erza that made the other girl giggle.

Despite the disruption to the ocean at the reappearance of Tenrou the waves had become calm quicker than expected. Freed assumed that Mavis had something to do with it, although he didn’t think it was worth questioning her magic at all. She, or at least the animated image of their first Master, had remained on the island and was watching them part.

Freed thought that someday he might have to look into the magic of the island. He would work out how they had survived and how Mavis had appeared. Research was a strong point of his, and he wanted a better understanding of what had happened in order to make sure nothing like it ever happened again. However, all that could wait for another day.

At that moment all he could think about was the tired group of his friends lounging about on the overcrowded boat and the bright future that was ahead of them. He couldn’t stop the smile on his face even if he wanted to.

He kept glancing between his friends, counting each one of them over and over again, to make sure they were real. A part of him was still worried this was all a dream and he would wake up any moment to find out he was hallucinating.

But this couldn’t be a dream, he thought as he sat down beside Evergreen, who nudged him in the ribs playfully. In his dreams his subconscious had never allowed him to be this happy.

Their hope had been worthwhile, and they were heading towards the future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yes this has been a long time coming but I'm back baby!
> 
> as always please comment and if you wanna chat my tumblr is gaysandprincess


	5. Family

During the journey back to Magnolia Freed had come to the belief that the only feelings he could now possess were joy and relief, but as soon as they reached the city nerves spiked in his chest once again. The nerves hit as soon as Erza began to march towards their old guild hall and Warren had to call out to her, bringing her back to the main group awkwardly.

“We had to move.” Bisca explained, her eyes lowering to the ground.

Freed felt the same wave of embarrassment rush through him as he motioned to the right, heading towards the edge of town and trying to keep his head in check. He couldn’t help but feel like they had failed, and the confused looks of his old friends reaffirmed this fear.

It wasn’t until they walked up to their new guild hall that Freed really felt the mood drop. Sure, it was homely and it was his home, but it wasn’t anything compared to their old guild.

He caught sight of Lucy’s frown and he cleared his throat.

“Our membership has greatly decreased. With it so have our earnings.”

Freed felt hot in his cheeks as he said this, as if it were his fault that they had been unable to convince their former members to stay with them. He knew that it wasn’t his fault of course. No one person could have convinced that many people to stay when the living they had made at Fairy Tail was rapidly dropping as requests dwindled away, but he still felt like it had been on him somehow.

After all, Freed had been the one member selected for the S-class test who had made it back from Tenrou. That wasn’t the case anymore though and he smiled as he saw Natsu rush over to the door, slamming them both open with a grin.

Hanging at the back of the group he couldn’t stop smiling as he saw Romeo’s tears of joy and the laughter and excitement from all around as their old friends returned home.

He searched around the room for Bickslow and caught sight of the other staring in shock. Freed felt like he ought to go over to his friend and explain as much as he could but as he moved forwards to clear things up with him Laxus took ahold of his arm, shaking his head subtly.

Looking back over at the scene Freed caught sight of Evergreen.

Her face in that moment was a sparkling ray of relief. She was alight with joy at seeing Bickslow stood by the bar still looking mostly like himself, apart from the lack of armour and sunglasses to block his eyes. For a moment she eyed him up with an inkling of suspicion, checking out his new hair style, the lack of armour, the lines now etched on his face. That expression faded quickly as she began to walk slowly towards him, but then she stopped, letting out a loud laugh.  

Bickslow, who had been frozen in place finally snapped out of his trance, throwing his head back and laughing even louder than her as he rushed towards her. The hug he pulled her into looked so tight it would crush Ever’s small frame, but she was stronger than she looked and he knew Bickslow would never hurt his sister. He picked her up and span her around the room as he continued to laugh, just as Freed had done earlier in the day, completely giddy with excitement.

“You’re alive! My beautiful fairy sister I knew you were still alive.”

“Of course I’m alive Bix. You didn’t think I’d die without rightfully claiming the title of Miss Fairy Tail did you?” She grinned, pushing her glasses up her nose with an air of pride although Freed and Bickslow could see the glint of her true smile etched behind her smirk.

“I know, I know.” He sat her back on the floor, pushing her hair out of her face and pinching her cheeks, fussing over her with a grin. “I’ve missed you so much sis, don’t go leaving me again.”

She nodded, holding out her pinkie finger in seriousness, a habit her and Bickslow had picked up in their youth and only ever used in dire situations when they were being totally serious. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Bickslow began to cry then, looping his and her finger for a moment before pulling her into another bone crushing hug.

Evergreen was clearly taken aback by this action, but she smiled fondly before managing to wriggle out of his arms, hitting his shoulder playfully. “You’re going to ruin my dress.”

Bickslow laughed again at that before looking up and catching sight of Freed.

Freed smiled at him warmly, walking a few steps towards his friends before turning back around and taking Laxus’ hand once more. He led the other slowly towards Evergreen and Bickslow, who lit up at the sight of Laxus but did not say a word as they approached, making a strange little circle very different from the last time they had all been together.

All of them continued to stay quiet, no one wanting to break the silence that was their own.

Around them the rest of the guild were chatting noisily. Someone had brought out the barrels of drink they had in storage and it was clear that they were about to start partying to make up for seven years worth of missed ones.

It was Laxus who finally broke the silence.

“You guys protected the guild?”

Bickslow shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “I guess you could say that. We just stuck by our family.”

Freed nodded along with his words, because it wasn’t a big deal. They had just done what was right for Fairy Tail, it was the rest of their friends who had really banded together to make sure they could keep their guild running.

Sure, Freed and Bickslow went on high earning quests, but Laki had been the one to design the new guild hall, going to the wood make wizards who had taught her and asking for advice in how to construct it as she had the most experience with wood crafting. Max had handled the finances of the guild and understood the documents the council continued to send them in a way that even Freed could not. It was Kinana who had taken up responsibility for the bar, even though she had only meant to be temporarily running it when the Strauss siblings were away. It was Reedus and Droy and Bisca who had started up the entertainment nights again to keep spirits high around them. And Macao had stepped up and taken the place of the Guild Master and the immense responsibility that came with it. Freed and Bickslow had protected the guild in a way, but there would have been no guild to protect if it weren’t for the rest of the people they had grown to call family.

“It’s been a long seven years.” Freed spoke quietly, looking over at Laxus. “A lot has happened.”

Bickslow smiled widely then, a tear slipping out from under his shades. “I’m just so glad you’re both home.”

He lunged forwards then, pulling all three of them into a hug which ended with them toppling onto the floor and laughing hysterically. Even Laxus was grinning as they were all piled on top of each other, a mess of limbs and hair.

Freed hadn’t felt this sort of joy in such a long time. The Thunder Legion had never been affectionate before, but you couldn’t spend _that_ long with your only friends without becoming attached to them. The relief that Freed felt at having them all in arms reach was phenomenal.

They were aware that they were getting odd stares as they laughed and cried but none of them cared. Laxus kept trying to sit up but Bickslow and Evergreen kept pulling him back down towards them. Evergreen was chatting animatedly about how much they had both changed and how proud she was of them, her voice ringing with happiness and Freed knew that tears were falling from his eyes as he continued to hold onto them, chocking out laughter every time Bickslow yanked Laxus closer.

“I’m so happy you’re home.” Bickslow said again as the hysteria of their cuddle pile died down and they were all just lying with each other on the hard floor of the Guild.

“I’m happy to be home Bickslow, but you know I might not be able to stay, right?”

They all turned to look at Laxus then, stern looks on their faces which made him frown and raise his hands in defence.

“Nope. We’re not talking about that right now.” Evergreen snapped, flicking him on the nose.

“Yeah man, don’t go getting all broody on us or I’ll have to show you how much training I’ve done in seven years.” Bickslow was nodding enthusiastically as he spoke.

Freed merely smiled, sitting up a little so he could look at Laxus. “Don’t worry about that right now, you said so yourself Laxus, this is your home. I will talk to Makarov tomorrow. For now, just think of yourself as visiting and lets go enjoy ourselves.”

Laxus smiled at that, nodding and finally clambering to his feet. He reached out his hand to help Freed up and Freed pulled himself up with a grateful smile.

He was about to drop his hand when Laxus gave it the tiniest of squeezes, the others silent way of saying that he didn’t want to let go just yet. Freed felt a fluttering in his heart that he hadn’t felt in full force since he had said goodbye to Laxus all those years ago.

“Come on, lets get a drink.” Freed managed to say with some semblance of his usual confidence, leading Laxus over to where Kinana stood, still holding onto his hand.

Luckily for them both they didn’t notice the eye contact that Evergreen and Bickslow shared at this exchange before busting into hysterical laughter once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that the gaps between these updates are so random, I have many things going on in my life right now but I promise you I have not forgotten about my self indulgent child of a fic.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this slightly shorter update and I hope to get another one out soon! (I love the thunder legion can you guys tell?)
> 
> As always please comment as it makes my day and without your words I'd probs just give up in a self conscious puddle. Also if you want to talk you can find me at gaysandprincess on tumblr!


	6. Stars

That night descended into reckless drinking faster than Freed had expected, although he probably shouldn’t have been all that surprised. Seven years was a long time. The fact that they had missed so much clearly terrified those who had been trapped on Tenrou.

It was clear to all of them that drinking for an evening to stop their anxieties wouldn’t help in the long run, but no one had the heart to stop their friends. Everyone was together again, and just for an evening they could happily drink their worries away until they passed out merry and surrounded by family.

Freed himself was reasonably drunk, although he still had his wits about him. He was sitting beside Alzack who looked like he was about to fall asleep at any moment but kept jerking awake and looking over the hall frantically, relaxing with a smile every time he spotted that all their lost friends had returned.

He was tempted to send Alzack home after Bisca who had lost the coin toss and reluctantly left Erza to pick up Asuka from her baby sitters. Freed would have done so hours back except Alzack had insisted he stay to make sure everyone was okay, as those who had been left on Tenrou no longer had homes to return to.

They would make housing arrangements in the morning. Right now, Freed just wanted to enjoy the feeling of the Guild hall being full again. 

It was a strange sight, the guild this lively again, and he couldn’t help but smile fondly at the scene.

Mirajane was singing a rowdy song as Gajeel played the guitar terribly and people were dancing around as others just stood and talked to their old friends and tried to catch up with all the new news.

Freed was glancing at Levy who was doing a complicated sort of jig with Jet and Droy as they all giggled between them. He knew how much the other two had missed her and how much they had suffered without their best friend there. Everyone who had been present for those seven years kept shooting them glances. The wide smiles on their faces was a sight for sore eyes, he didn’t think the two could possibly look happier.

“Yo Freed.”

Freed looked up to see Natsu in front of him jumping up and down with excitement. Earlier he had been running around with Romeo on his shoulders, but it looked as if Macao had sent his overexcited son home for the night.

“Hello Natsu, having a good night?”

“Would be better if you showed me those new moves you’ve been hyping up.” He grinned, his arm lighting with fire in excitement for a battle.

Freed laughed, jumping up to his feet.

“I think our duel should be left for the morning.”

“Nope, lets go now!”

Drawing out his sword in a flash Freed moved his hand in a flurry of lettering before Natsu could even blink and as the other moved forwards to take a swing at Freed there was a flash and the air around him turned into water, scorching out the flames on his arms and drenching him as he ducked away from the punch nimbly.

Freed smirked, picking up a towel from the bar and throwing it at his head.

“Now if you’ll excuse me.”

Weaving past Natsu he walked through the crowd of people, feeling a hand grip on his arm. The hand belonged to Kinana, who was smiling sweetly over at him, her cheeks a soft red. “Play for me?”

Rolling his eyes, he sighed like it was a chore, although the fondness was clear in his voice. “I guess I could manage a few songs if you want. Only for you though.”

Kinana was a comforting presence. She didn’t speak much, similar to Freed when he had first joined the guild. He enjoyed spending time with her and admired her for continuing to work at the bar despite the pay not being amazing in the last few years. She was a good person and Freed was happy to help her out in any way he could.

“I’m glad you feel that way.” She smiled and Freed spluttered.

Oh, he had said that out loud. Perhaps he was more drunk than he had realised.

She tugged him towards the small raised platform Mirajane was stood on as she finished her song. Freed smiled at her, taking her hand and spinning her around which made her giggle happily. In the four months before the S-class test Freed had grown closer to Mirajane and he had missed her presence dearly in the guild. It had been hard without their honorary mother figure keeping them calm with a drink and an interested question.

“I’ve missed your singing.” He smiled at her

“I’m sure you found other ways to have fun sweetie.” She smiled, placing a hand softly on his cheek.

“That we did but we were nothing compared to you. Do you mind?”

She smiled at him, nodding slightly before dragging Gajeel off the stage using a demon arm. He chuckled as he watched her go before collecting his violin from the storage room at the back of the stage. He smiled as he walked to the side, Kinana standing in the middle of the stage, slipping off her shoes.

They were getting a few curious looks from those who hadn’t been around to see their usual performance for entertainment nights, but the others were smiling, and he noticed Alzack standing up and heading into the crowd with a loud whoop.

Ever so quietly Freed began to play a simple tune and the rooms lights dimmed around them. Kinana started to dance softly along to the sweet melody before he started to build it up louder and louder. With its volume the tempo increased, and that was when the complexity of the rhythm became something else entirely. Kinana let out a shout at one point, beginning to clap as she danced along with Freed, showing off her skill as her dress flew around her beautifully.

When the song came to an end Kinana bowed before turning to Freed. “Another!”

He rolled his eyes before lifting his bow once again. This time Kinana dragged Mirajane onto the stage with her and having not practised anything like this before it was hilarious watching Mirajane try to keep up with Kinana’s movement, but she looked like she was having so much fun. Freed was grinning as he kept up his music and when the piece ended he let out a laugh before bowing himself and handing back the mic to Mirajane.

Jumping off the stage he landed in front of Evergreen who was grinning from ear to ear. “You played in front of everyone! You never used to do that. I’m so proud of you Freed!” She practically shouted in his ear and he chuckled, turning to look at Laxus who was hovering over her shoulder anxiously.

“How much has she had?”

“Her little body can’t take it.”

“What did you say? I can take it and I’ll take you Mr Thunderdick. Outside, now. I’m going to fight you!” She shouted as she turned around to face him, holding up her fists threateningly.

The last time Evergreen had got drunk and challenged Laxus to a fight she had won, but only because she turned him to stone and then blacked out, so he instantly woke up from it. It had been a funny night, only a few months after they had formed their group.

Laxus had the same fond expression on his face now that he had had that night, when he had scooped her up and dragged Freed by the scruff of his neck back to their home.

“Come on Evergreen, I think you should go sit down.”

She glared at him before flouncing off, walking over to Cana who was drinking by the bar and startling her out of her glumness as she began to rant about something.

Freed laughed at the sight, joy twinkling in his eyes as he watched her looking no different from the last time they had seen her. It was a strange feeling, seeing her like this as if nothing had changed. Although everything had changed for him. He was older, much more experienced and much more protective of the rest of the guild. The idea of going out for long missions like they had before wasn’t something that appealed to him anymore.

He wanted to be close to the people around him and he no longer wanted the introverted life he had had before.

“Are you okay Freed?” Laxus asked, breaking him out of his trance.

He turned to look up at him, smiling a little shakily. It was even weirder having Laxus here, but he was so glad that his friend was back by his side.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Do you want to get some fresh air?”

Freed nodded, managing a proper smile at his words. “That would be nice.”

Together the two walked towards the door of the guild, sneaking out quietly. Instantly the noise from the hall dimmed and Freed let out a chuckle. “Come on.” He motioned towards the right and began to walk a little way away from the guild. He walked the two towards a slight clearing hidden by a thin layer of trees, but they could still hear the noises from the guild seep out towards them.

“It’s a nice evening.” Laxus commented, which made Freed raise an eyebrow at him.

Laxus had never been one for small talk and Freed wasn’t sure why he was attempting it now. Perhaps it was the oddness of the situation. Seeing him looking this different must have been an odd sight he supposed, but they had time to get comfortable again. Freed sank down on a log Laki had carved into a bench big enough for two, not retorting to his remark and simply smiling at the other.

Laxus sat down beside him without another word, still shooting Freed glances every now and then, between looking up at the clear nights sky.

The silence was nice, if filled with anticipation. They had so much to talk about but neither of them wanted to do it now. Freed would never be able to fill in the last seven years no matter how many questions Laxus asked and that knowledge weighed on both of their minds.

After a while of the two sitting in silence, the stars twinkling above them, Freed moved ever so closer to Laxus, resting his head on his shoulder. Without hesitation Laxus wrapped an arm around him, bringing the other closer to him and letting out a small sigh.

“Freed..” Laxus spoke his name softly, hesitation clear in his voice. “This is hard for me, I don’t want to rush anything.”

Freed let out a shaky breath, leaning in a little closer still. He couldn’t believe that Laxus had addressed his feelings, had expressed a weakness to Freed that wasn’t to do with his magic. Laxus was struggling just as much as he was.

“I still need to make it up to the Guild, and to gramps.” He continued, his head tilted upwards as he looked up at the sky. 

“I understand Laxus, you don’t have to explain it to me or to anyone else.”

They didn’t make eye contact, both simply looking up at the sky above them.

“I’m glad you stayed at Fairy Tail.” Laxus said, surprising Freed by taking hold of his hand. “Everything you’ve done..” He trailed off, unable to find the words or look at his friend.

Freed understood. He understood how hard it was for Laxus to show his feelings. He understood how weak the other must feel in that moment, having lost seven years while his friends had moved on without him. The weight of the situation was crushing, and they were both lost in the woods without the tools to express their thoughts and feelings.

So Freed took a steady breath, squeezing Laxus’ hand.

“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk now.”

Laxus hummed lowly, the two finally making eye contact.

“But we do need to talk. I’ve missed so much, we can’t pretend that seven years haven’t passed.”

Freed stayed silent for a long moment, the truth of it sinking in. He wanted things to just go back to the way they were, but was that even possible? So much had changed, he had changed. Freed wasn’t the man he had been when Laxus had been banished from the guild. Maybe the unnamed connection between the two of them would completely vanish now they weren’t what they had been.

The idea that he might have already lost his best friend because of something out of his control filled him with immense dread. The world wasn’t meant to do this. His choices were meant to dictate his life, not the whims of fate.

“Freed?” Laxus cut his internal panic short, although the dread still sent pain through Freed’s body, making it hard for him to even look at the other, despite the softness with which he said his name. “Like I said, we don’t have to talk now. We can just sit here.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” Freed spoke softly, finally relaxing against the other.

They were silent for a long moment, both simply looking up at the sky. Freed almost forgot that they were holding hands until Laxus squeezed his softly.

“I missed you.” Laxus was still using that soft voice Freed could hardly remember him using before this evening. It sent a warmth rushing through his stomach as he squeezed his hand back.

Things had changed. That much was obvious. However, perhaps it didn’t have to be a bad thing. Perhaps this change would be for the better.

“I missed you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the continuing support. As always please comment (it's honestly super fundamental to me publishing more) and if you want to talk hit me up on tumblr @ gaysandprincess.
> 
> Can you guys tell that I love handholding?


	7. Trio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (my roommate recommends listening to In the Stream by S. Carey while reading this chapter)

Freed had woken from his alcohol induced nap laying curled up with Evergreen, a hand buried in her hair as they cuddled near the corner of the room. His back ached from the uncomfortable wooden floorboards, but he didn’t have it in him to complain as he shook Evergreen awake gently.

She sent him a glare as he grinned, pulling her up to her feet and sneaking through the crowd of still sleeping people to make his way over to the bar. A handful of people were already awake and chatting quietly as Mirajane made coffee.

Freed smiled as he hugged Ever from behind, listening to Warren talking excitedly to Gray about something or other. He wasn’t paying much attention to the words being spoken, instead too excited to be holding onto Ever again. Her hair smelt the same as it always did, and she looked relaxed despite her grouchy pout from having been woken up. The whole situation comforted him intensely.  

After about half a cup of coffee she began joining in on the conversation, quizzing Warren on the guild gossip that had happened in the past seven years and Freed felt so content. He didn’t join in with the talk, just listened quietly with his eyes closed, burying his head further into Evergreen’s hair.

This was until he heard a loud yell from the door. “Uncle Freed!”

Freed snapped his head up instantly, grinning as he looked at the small figure stood in the doorway. Not for the first time Freed wondered how such a small kid could make such a big noise, and he let go of Ever, turning to face the door as the blue haired boy ran over a pile of the sleeping people, waking up most of them as he neared the bar.

“Your sister had a kid?” Evergreen asked, raising an eyebrow at the little boy who had just accidently kicked Juvia awake in his rush.

“Not exactly.” Freed grinned as he heard an equally loud shout from the door.

“Laxus! What did I tell you about running off without warning me?” Bickslow shouted almost as loudly as his son, marching over their sleeping guildmates and following Lax even though Freed had already swept the boy up into his arms before hoisting him onto his shoulders.

“Leave him be, Bickslow. He’s just excited to see his favourite godparent.”

 “Laxus?” Evergreen spoke, her eyebrows shooting through the roof. “ _Godparent_?”

Bickslow grinned, coming up to stand beside Freed and looking up at his son. “Yeah, so this is the big news I wanted to wait to tell you. Evergreen, meet my son. Laxus, this is your auntie Evergreen.”

Lax waved at Evergreen, a huge grin on his face. “It’s nice to meet you Evergreen! You can call me Lax if you’d like cause that’s what uncle Freed calls me! What sort of magic do you do? I’m gonna learn something flashy as soon as I can. Big brother Romeo is going to teach me! How exciting is that!” Laxus spoke in his usual rush, excitement in his voice as he looked over at Evergreen with wide eyes, gripping hold of Freed’s hair.

Evergreen’s face was getting more and more terrified as he spoke, and it was clear to everyone watching that she had no idea what to do. She kept looking from Bickslow to his son, her eyes wide as she took in the sight before her.

“I.. I’m so happy to meet you Lax. I..” She finally managed to speak. Tears had started to pool in her eyes, but she blinked them away, an angry look crossing her face. “I just need to go do something real quick but I’ll see you soon okay bye.”

With that she was darting across the guild, almost tripping over Max before making it outside and letting the door slam shut. Freed and Bickslow stared after her for a second before turning towards one another.

“Warren, could you look after Lax for a little while?” Bickslow asked, picking Lax off Freed’s shoulders and giving him a kiss on the head. “I’ll be back soon Lax, why don’t you talk to Warren about what you’ve been learning in school.”

Warren looked like he would rather follow Ever right out the door than have to look after Bickslow’s excitable five-year-old while hungover, but he valiantly took hold of Lax and placed him up on the bar.

“Go on then, go after her.”

Freed and Bickslow didn’t need another word before they turned heel and ran. Neither was sure about why they were running. Evergreen must not have gone far, but she had her wings and they weren’t planning on losing her.

They didn’t need to talk to know where they would check first.

Whenever Evergreen got upset she would go sit at a certain spot by the river. She had once said it was because her mother swore that she had seen a fairy at that very spot when she was a kid, and ever since she had always found herself by its banks, looking for her own fairy.

As expected, Evergreen was sat at the river bank, her feet dangling into the water as she watched the river flow by. She looked like she had been crying and Freed couldn’t blame her.

They two silently made their way to the side of the river, sitting down beside her quietly. After Laxus had been banished from the guild they had come to this spot often, propping each other up as they watched the sun set. Now it was morning, the sun was high in the sky, but none of them felt any better.

It was Evergreen who broke the silence.

“This isn’t fair.”

The statement echoed in the morning around them.

There was something so childish about her words, about the phrasing of them, like she was furious at the world, or at them for leaving.

“You had a kid, you’re both so much older. Why didn’t you come back to us? _God damnit._ Now everything is ruined and..” The frustration in her voice was building in intensity and suddenly Evergreen was sobbing, holding her head in her hands as she continued to swell with anger. “I’ve missed _everything_. It’s not fair. It isn’t fair, why did it have to be you? I don’t understand. This isn’t fucking fair.”

Freed didn’t know what to say as he watched. He was at a loss of what to do, of how he could make this better. He felt useless. Yet again he was acting like a fucking disappointment to his friends and he could barely breathe, let alone articulate words.

He had been waiting years to have Evergreen back with them, but it had been so long and she was right. Why hadn’t they been on the island? And how the hell could he help her now when they had lost so much time.

All he wanted to do was cry and shout and hurt whoever had made the universe so cruel that they had taken his friends away for so long.

Luckily Bickslow was much better at handling other people’s emotions than Freed was, and he practically lifted up Evergreen, scooping her up and pulling her into his lap.

“Hey now Fairy Queen.” He spoke so softly that Freed could barely hear the words he was uttering. “The universe is a bitch and we can take it out on her later. But for now you just have to breathe.”

Bickslow demonstrated with deep, slow breaths, making eye contact with Freed as he did so.

The pain in his eyes made Freed’s throat itch, tears prickling in his own eyes. However, he pushed them away, kneeling down beside where Bickslow and Evergreen were, placing a hand gently on her shoulder and breathing along with Bickslow’s instructions.

After a while, when Evergreen had managed to even out her breathing, although she was still sniffling into her hands, Bickslow finally spoke again.

“The world has fucked us over Evergreen. We were separated for far too long, you’re completely right. It isn’t fair. But that doesn’t mean that hope is lost. Ever, you’re still my sister, you always will be. Seven years have not changed that, fifty years wouldn’t change that. Fuck, a hundred billion years wouldn’t change that Evergreen.” Bickslow pressed a kiss to her forehead then, and Evergreen finally pulled her hands away, looking up at Bickslow, her eyes still red and teary through her glasses. “It’s going to be okay. We have the future and we have the now, remember how when we were younger we only ever lived for the now?”

Evergreen let out a shaky laugh, nodding her head.

“No use in stressing about where you came from, especially considering we still want to make names for ourselves, yeah?” Bickslow said softly, brushing hair out of her eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

Evergreen didn’t sound sure in the slightest as she moved forwards to hug Bickslow tightly. Freed thought back to when he had met them, to how little the two had showed that they cared about one another. When they had started the Raijinshuu Freed had not been aware that the two had grown up together and now he wondered how they had ever been so cold and stern in one another’s presence.

For a moment he sat back, feeling like he was intruding on something he should not be watching.

Bickslow was still speaking softly, running his fingers through Evergreen’s hair like he often did with Lax. His words were hard to make out from where Freed had moved, but he didn’t try to understand them, leaving them to the intensely private moment between the two.

Seven years had changed so much.

He was just glad that it hadn’t changed them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I'm back?
> 
> I'm glad to finally release this chapter, I love the dumb thunder cats tm and I'm glad they have time to curl up and reassure one another (before fairy tail real arcs come in hardcore to hurt them again) 
> 
> Hoping to update more frequently but I say this every time so who knows?
> 
> If you liked please let me know by commenting or clicking that kudos button <3
> 
> ALSO I want to give a special shout out to thedragonsarecats who left me a string of comments that made all the stress I had been having about my writing dissipate in a moment of pure joy when I read them this morning. Thank you so so much! This meant so much to me and you're absolute angel. I hope you enjoy this chapter <3


	8. Unstoppable

“You thought I had died, didn’t you?” Evergreen finally spoke as she pulled off her shoes, tossing them aside and ripping off her tights so she could dip her feet in the river.

She wasn’t looking at either of them, having crawled out of Bickslow’s lap and instead focussing intently on the running water below her.

Freed wasn’t sure how to answer her question and he spent a moment or two thinking, watching her carefully, before he finally spoke. “Sometimes we were sure of it, other days not so much. We tried to treat it like you were dead and move on, but we never could. We always felt like you would come back to us.”

“That was all we wanted.” Bickslow joined Evergreen in pulling off his shoes, splashing her a little as he spoke.  

“You’re both so much older. There’s so much about you that I don’t know.”

“We’ll fill you in.” Freed suggested, his voice sad.

“On seven years?” Evergreen laughed, wiping at her eyes. “I don’t think that’s possible. I should have been there with you, I should have been there for all this stuff. Bix, you have a kid and I’m just.. Exactly how I was seven years ago. I’m still pissed at Freed for picking you to be his S-class partner and not me because that was only a few weeks ago... I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

“That’s understandable, but we have time to work things out.” Freed tried to reassure her, but it was difficult. Things really had changed, and he wasn’t sure how easy it would be for Evergreen to slip back into their life as if nothing was any different.

“I guess, but where do you start? Also you know how jealous I get Bickslow. I bet you asked Darcy to be your best man, you did didn’t you?”

Bickslow chuckled, ruffling her hair fondly. “You think I’d replace you with Darcy as my groomsman? She’s not my partner in crime Ever, she was our older boring sis who we love to death but still.” He shook his head, looking down at her fondly. “Plus, me and Marty never got married, she hates that sort of thing. She’s so unfashionable too, if we ever do tie the knot you’ll be the one planning the wedding. She’d wear her overalls if she could.”

Evergreen was still pouting but she did look a little happier at Bickslow’s reassurance. She nudged him hard in the ribs, sending him a side long glance. “Still…” She looked like she wanted to say more, to continue bitching about the situation, but her curiosity clearly got the better of her. “So, you and Marty are in love huh?”

“They’re so hopeless Ever, you don’t know the half of it.” Freed smiled over at Bickslow, who had a slight blush on his cheeks.

“We met six years ago when me and Freed were travelling in Bosco to try and find Laxus. She challenged me to an arm wrestle in a tavern one night, then the night after and the night after that and she won every time. I challenged her every night for a week and when we had to leave I asked her to come with me.”

Bickslow had the fond smile on his face that he always had when he talked about Marty. She was petite but had strong arms from working with machines all day. She could rival Cana in a drinking competition and had the softest singing voice Freed had ever heard. In the time that Freed had known her she had become as dear to him as his own sister.

Marty had tilted her head to the side when Bickslow had asked her to leave with him and then downed the rest of her drink before declaring “Why the hell not!”

They were a match made in heaven and Freed still found it hard to believe that all it took was a week of arm wrestles and laughter for them to realise that they didn’t want to live without each other.

Marty had become a dear part of their life and so had Lax when he came along a year after they had met. Freed couldn’t be happier for them both and he knew that Evergreen was going to absolutely love her. He could see by the look on her face that she had already realised someone who could make Bickslow look that content was someone who deserved to be in his life.

“The rest just happened.” Bickslow smiled. “She’s the love of my life Ever. You’ll be begging us to get married after ten minutes talking to her.”

“As long as she wears a proper dress.” Ever chuckled, the tears in her eyes making it a little watery.

“We travelled all over trying to find Laxus.” Freed continued as Ever wiped at her eyes and steadied herself a little. She hadn’t asked for the whole story, but it was clear that she wanted to hear everything so nothing more could surprise her. “Almost half a year.”

Freed continued to explain how they had gone to every town in Fiore, how they had researched random fluctuations in storms to track him down. Together he and Bickslow had managed to find the course he had taken after leaving Fairy Tail and had followed it until it had run dry.

When they returned to the guild Macao had been appointed as Guild Master. From then on, they had started taking as many high earning jobs as possible, to both distract themselves from the pain of their loss and bring in enough money and interest to keep the guild running.

Every time they came back to Magnolia someone else had moved on. After a while it became impossible to stay at their old guild hall and they had had to move.

Laki had been placed in charge of the design. The carpenters she had once lived with had helped them put it together for free on the land that had once belonged to Ivan on the outskirts of the city. Perhaps it hadn’t been wise, but as it was technically still in the possession of the Dreyer family who had originally founded Fairy Tail, none of the council of Magnolia had complained about them constructing there. It had been a hard effort but they had all helped build a new guildhall from scratch.

He explained how Macao had not intended to rope in the help of any guild allies, but how one night Jura and Leon had turned up without warning and begun to help with the efforts of reconstructing their home. A friendship formed between the two strongest members of Lamia Scale and those in Fairy Tail who remained.

Jura had been encouraging, had suggested an alliance to help train those who wished to push their magic. He had often visited as the third year rolled around, encouraging Freed and Bickslow to aid the others in terms of training.

It was around the same time that Alzack and Freed had become fast friends. Bickslow was busy with Marty, the two looking after little Lax, and he had decided to postpone going on missions for the first year or so of Lax’s life.

Bickslow smiled as Freed spoke about this, ruffling Freed’s head. “I loved being a stay at home dad. The only problem was it forced our antisocial nerd to make friends.”

Freed rolled his eyes at this, nudging him in his ribs.

“So, one day I decided to go on a mission on my own and I almost got myself killed.” Freed shrugged, like it was no big deal. However, it very much had been.

A run in with an assassin’s guild trying to take out members of the council had ended badly. If it weren’t for Alzack being on a lower stakes quest in the same city Freed would have been as good as dead.

After Alzack sweet talked him out of a sticky situation, then saved his life countless times on the chase through the mountains, the two had come out of it as thick as thieves. Alzack wasn’t as loud as Ever and Bickslow had been on missions, and he seemed to understand Freed’s way of thinking. They worked well together, devising plans that weaponised Freed’s ability to set traps and Alzack’s knack for long distance scoping. It was an excellent partnership, and soon the two were going on more quests together whenever they came about.

Alzack had also encouraged Freed to take lower stakes quests. To spend time closer to the guild, and return home more often.

And home had begun to feel like home again.

With Alzack steamrolling him into friendship, in came Bisca. Bisca who was settled, and down to earth yet still had a mischievous eye that got her into trouble. Freed adored Bisca, and Bisca became an important part of his life.

Time moved on, the guild grew smaller and closer. Sunday dinners became a regular thing, Macao found housing arrangements for those who needed them. It was a warm New Years that year. The new Guild, the new friendships formed, the new children of the guild.

Into the fourth year things became hard again. A terrible defeat in the newly created Grand Magic Games lead to a significant decrease in quests and membership. Freed had gotten seriously injured going against a minor dark guild and in the months he spent recovering they had completely lost track of the tabs they had been keeping on Tartarus.

There had been good things as well, although they had been few and far between. Bisca and Alzack had announced their engagement and Warren and Max got hitched some point during their wedding reception. Lax was old enough to start visiting the guild and brought so much joy whenever he did.

In early spring Blue Pegasus had started research into the disappearance of Tenrou which was when Freed had gotten close to Hibiki.

“You’ve been dating people?” Ever interrupted as Freed mentioned this. “Openly dating guys? Freed that should have been the first thing you told me!”

Freed blushed at her comment, shrugging off the hug she tried to give him. He supposed that it was a big deal. Seven years ago he had been firmly in the closet to everyone except Bickslow, Ever and Laxus. He hated anyone mentioning his attraction to men and had spent a lot of time pretending he didn’t have feelings for anyone.

His year long relationship with Hibiki had had its ups and downs, but the relief that came from being openly with someone had changed Freed for the better. Hibiki had been a lot to deal with at times, he was loud and enthusiastic and Freed adored those qualities in him, but the pieces that had fallen into place when they started dating had changed by the end of it.

The following years had included a few reunions between the two, but it had not been serious since New Years two years ago and they were both better for it. He had tried to date a few people from outside the Guild community, but nothing ever stuck.

Freed knew why nothing had ever worked out, but he’d be damned if he was going to admit it out loud. Bickslow could send him as many pitying glances as he wanted, but Freed would never admit it to the other, or anyone else for that matter.

“After we lost the first games we spent most of our time just trying to keep afloat.” Freed continued with his explanation. “The years that followed were much of the same. Listening out for signs of Laxus, trying to research what had happened at Tenrou, learning how to keep the Guild from falling apart completely. It was hard, but it was life.”

Bickslow smiled at that, looking up at the sun that was now high in the sky.

“We could go on, but there’s not much more.”

Nodding at his friends words, Freed placed a hand on Ever’s shoulder.

“We never stopped missing you, you know that right? If we could go back and make sure you were there then we absolutely would. In a moment’s notice.”

Evergreen stayed silent for a moment as she looked between the two. For a second it looked like she was going to continue complaining, but instead of a pout, her lips twitched into a smile.

“I’m proud of you both.” Evergreen spoke warmly, taking hold of both their hands between hers. “A lot has happened… But if you are okay with it, would you like to be a trio again?”

 Freed had never heard Evergreen so vulnerable, and it hurt his heart to know how scared she was that she wouldn’t fit back into their lives. He felt tears prickle his eyes as he moved forwards at the same time as Bickslow, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Of course.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way Ever.”

Bickslow and Freed spoke at the same time as they held on tightly to their friend like she was going to vanish in their arms. 

Of course, there were more stories to be shared, and more explanation to be had, but they had time for that. Right now it was just enough that the three of them could simply be. That they could exist in orbit of each other, like nothing had ever been disrupted.

And for a moment, as the sun shined down on them, nothing had changed. They were just a trio of idiots who had decided to throw their lots in with an angsty teenage lightning mage. They cared about each other, and they would fight together, push each other to be better, bicker like siblings. Nothing could stop them.

They were together again.

Unstoppable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed!
> 
> As always please leave a comment or a kudos if you enjoyed! They mean the world to me and keep me wanting to write. Love you all <3


End file.
